


Sunset

by LessonsFromMoths



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Arguments, Canon Compliant, Coming of Age, Domestic Fluff, Drunken Confessions, EnnoTana Week 2020, Friends to Lovers, Light Angst, Long-Distance Relationship, Love Letters, M/M, Mostly Fluff, Personal Trainer Tanaka Ryuunosuke, Physical Therapist Ennoshita Chikara, Rarepair, Slice of Life, Video Chats, more tags may be added, no beta we die like men, so many headcanons, this is plotless fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:21:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25785793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LessonsFromMoths/pseuds/LessonsFromMoths
Summary: Tanaka and Ennoshita through seven years of their relationship. Long distance, domestic fluff, just the right amount of angst, and so much love.For EnnoTana Week 2020 (Aug 10 - 16)
Relationships: Ennoshita Chikara/Tanaka Ryuunosuke, implied AsaNoya
Comments: 14
Kudos: 50
Collections: Ennotana Week 2020





	1. Day 1: First Dates/Polaroids

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you SO MUCH to the hosts of EnnoTana Week 2020! Visit their [twitter page](https://twitter.com/ennotanaweek20) to join in the fun of this week!
> 
> Instead of 7 flash fics I'll just be adding a chapter to this one for every day! It is a continuous fic, with all chapters occurring successively. I shoved SO MANY headcanons in, with the main ones being listed at the end of each chapter. 
> 
> Disclaimer: I’m literally so in love with Tanaka Ryuunosuke. He would age like fine wine I stg like he is a supportive senpai, an amazing brother, an enthusiastic friend, and the peak of men (save for the slightly weird obsession with Kiyoko but that’s just a side effect of him being a side character in a shonen manga). He loves wildly and unapologetically and softly and idk obviously I’m just in love with Tanaka. 
> 
> Also I’ll be linking a different Tanaka or EnnoTana fic at the end of each chapter, and you should totally check all of them out if you haven’t already! They are wonderful and perfect and keep me awake at night because of how cute they are. 
> 
> Sorry that this is so long! Un-beta'd, thank you for reading!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning, I only mention a polaroid once ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

“She’s a CIA agent sent here to Japan to kill him, an’ he’s an intelligence analyst who learned a bit too much. But, in a moment of weakness, she found that she was in love with him!” 

Chikara leaned back on the park bench, Tanaka's arm wrapped comfortably around his shoulders as his voice lilted in Chikara’s ear. Tanaka's thick Miyagi accent always had a way of soothing him, even after the most upsetting of days. Today...had been one of them. Some asshole in Chikara’s class had found out that he was dating Tanaka and they made quite a few distasteful comments regarding him and the rest of the volleyball team. Needless to say, Chikara needed a break from the close-minded idiots at their school, so Tanaka had taken him out for their favorite pastime: sitting in the park and creating secret and fantastical lives for the people walking about.

“Their first meeting was just like every other meet-cute,” Chikara said in his narrator voice, adding onto Tanaka's exciting love story. “Or at least, that’s what he thinks. He doesn’t know that she spent months stalking him and learning everything about him, from his favorite lunch spot to the number of red ties in his wardrobe.” 

They watched as the woman tripped on a ball that rolled in front of her walking path, and the man swiftly reached over to catch her from face planting into the ground. “Oh ho ho, she even pretends to need his help so that he won’t ever find out that she’s been keepin’ this secret from him,” Tanaka said. 

“How romantic,” Chikara murmurs. “Do you think she ever tells him?” 

Tanaka absentmindedly scratches his cheek. “Hmm. I wouldn’t, if I were her.” Chikara slaps him in the chest. “What! What was that for? If she tells him, he might be in danger! She’d have to leave her life with him behind to disappear, just so her enemies won’t go after him.” 

“But isn’t he already an enemy of the U.S.?” Chikara asked, poking at Tanaka's bicep. 

“Well...maybe she’s been coverin’ up his involvement in the intelligence breaches, so that they don’t trace it back to him.”

“You’re making this very complicated,” Chikara ribbed, watching the couple make their way around the pond.

 _“I’m_ makin’ this complicated?” Tanaka gently knocked his head against Chikara’s.

A warmth blossomed in Chikara’s chest as he let his head fall onto Tanaka's shoulder. The warmth was working out all the knots in his heart and back, bleeding the tension from the muscles that he’d had clenched ever since the day started to go south. 

“Don’t look now, but I think the couple to your right is on a first date.” Predictably, Tanaka immediately whipped his head to the couple, his expression melting into a smile as he watched the scene unfold. It was a couple in late middle school or early high school, the boy fumbling as he tried to spread out a picnic blanket on the grass. The girl was blushing just as much as him, though, so Chikara didn’t feel too much sympathy for him. 

Once he got the blanket spread out he shakily gestured towards it and the two of them sat a very reasonable distance away from each other. Chikara didn’t miss the way their hands inched towards each other. Judging by Tanaka's grin, he didn’t either. 

“E-Ennoshita-senpai?” Tanaka turned to him, feigning nervousness. 

Chikara rolled his eyes, refusing to play along. “We’re the same age, Ryuu. I only have like, three months on you.” 

“Can I...can I _hold yer hand?”_ He whispered the last words, and Chikara held back the urge to sock his boyfriend in the face. 

He sighed at Tanaka's wide eyes, both glinting with mischief and life. “Yes, Ryuunosuke. I would be honored if we held hands.” 

Tanaka gasped theatrically and gently slid their hands together on top of Chikara’s thigh. He had to admit, he loved the way Tanaka's large hands felt in his. They were definitely the hands of an ace, big and strong and so, so gentle with his own. Their friendship was two years in the making, their new relationship already nearing its sixth month. Time spent with Tanaka was easy, effortless. While Tanaka himself was rowdy and impulsive, Chikara cherished these moments when he was Ryuu: gentle, knowing, and kind. Not that Tanaka wasn't any of those things. One of the reasons Chikara liked him so much was because he cared so fiercely for others. He stood up for what he believed in unapologetically, he was careful around sensitive topics, and he had more compassion than anyone Chikara had ever met. Had you ever seen Tanaka with a stray kitten in his arms, lip wobbling because he thought it looked hungry? Chikara dared anyone who had to _not_ fall quickly and deeply for him.

“You’re ridiculous,” Chikara told him too fondly. Tanaka seemed to hear it, too, because all he did was hum contentedly like he did when he ate a satisfying meal, and pulled up Chikara’s hand to his mouth to press his lips to the back of his hand. His lips were warm and chapped like they always were. Their relationship started with jeers and taunts, but quickly dissolved into quiet moments of affection. If First-Year Chikara could see him now, he'd be disgusted. Current Chikara was just happy.

“Think they’ll last to a second date?”

Chikara watched as the girl in the couple picked a clover from the grass and presented it to the boy, who gently tucked it into his pocket. It reminded Chikara of the way Tanaka would do the same thing (back when Chikara knew him only as Tanaka) during long practices that consisted of nothing but cross training. They would lie on the grass during their breaks, soaking in the coolness of the ground, picking idly at the greens surrounding them. Tanaka would crow over every four-leaf clover he found and present it to a teammate -- usually Noya. But one time, he had handed one to Chikara. 

_“This one is special,”_ he had said. 

_“Why this one in particular?”_

Tanaka had given him a weird half-smile, one that Chikara had never seen before. 

_“Because it will grant you a wish. But only one. So be careful what you wish for.”_

Chikara didn’t even remember what he had wished for. Probably something stupid, like an A on the next geometry test or for his dad to call on his birthday that year. Maybe he should have wished for something like a starting position on the volleyball team, or a girlfriend, or admission to his first choice university. But then it wouldn’t have mattered, because he worked hard to get all of those things, and he could proudly say that none of them were the result of a wish on a four leaf clover _(“Is that even what you do with a four-leaf clover?” “Shut up, Kinoshita.”)._ Well, okay, he had all of them except the girlfriend. But Tanaka was much better than a girlfriend. 

Tanaka was strangely bashful and shy despite his overzealous nature. He loved going on long walks. He worried about his older sister and tried to keep out of trouble to make her life easier. He missed his dog that he had as a kid. He had an old polaroid picture of his parents that he kept in his wallet because it made him feel like they were watching over him, and he lived his life so that they would be proud of him.

He was a firework in the dark night sky. He was a smile in a crowd of strangers. He was beautiful, and alive, and a sunset at the end of a perfect day. 

Chikara looked back at the new couple, who had the sunset reflected in their eyes.

“I think they might have a chance,” he said, pressing himself closer to his boyfriend. And Ryuu held him until the sun disappeared. 

~  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FIC TO READ: [free food](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12808650/chapters/29237652) by glitch_writes
> 
> Also, don't forget to support WIPs!! Happy EnnoTana Week!!
> 
> ~  
> Headcanon Count:  
> \-- The Tanaka parents died in a car wreck when Ryuu was nine and Saeko was fourteen. They probably lived with a relative for a while until Saeko was 18 - then they moved out and got a place together with their parents’ money. 
> 
> \-- Ennoshita’s dad left for America for business a few years back. He sometimes comes to visit his wife and son, but usually just pretends they don’t exist. 
> 
> \-- Tanaka is a wizard at finding 4-leaf clovers. No one else understands how he’s so good.
> 
> \-- People watching is their favorite date


	2. Day 2: Late Night Talks/Secrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Tuesday!
> 
> Ennoshita's chapters are so poetic and Tanaka's are just like, "Chikara? 10/10. Love the lips, enjoy the company. Would try to make laugh again."

“Ya look like shit,” Ryuu grinned wickedly at the screen, savoring the chuckle he managed to squeeze from his boyfriend mere seconds after logging onto the Skype call. 

“We haven’t talked in two weeks and that’s the first thing you say to me?” Chika turned his eyes heavenwards but his mouth was quirked into that silly little smile that made Ryuu’s fingertips tingle with the need to brush them against Chikara’s lips. 

“You’re still cute, though,” Ryuu winked, and Chikara let out a bark of laughter, rubbing his running nose on the sleeve of his sweater. Well, _Ryuu’s_ sweater. That Chikara had _stolen_ from him during his last holiday. Ryuu wasn’t bitter about the loss of his favorite sweater at all, no sir. Him? Bitter? Ha!

Chikara propped his head up in his hand, his elbow resting on the desk between himself and the computer camera. The little smile still hadn’t found its way off of his face as he gazed at Ryuu with tired eyes. “You should get some sleep, you know. You’ve had a rough few weeks,” Ryuu said gently. 

Chikara scoffed. “Sleep? Sleep is for the weak. Especially when I can finally talk to my hot boyfriend.” He tried to chuckle again but it turned into a small but mighty coughing fit, the bottom half of his face hidden in the crook of his elbow. 

“Your hot boyfriend doesn’t wanna have a dead boyfriend,” Ryuu countered. Chikara had had a long few weeks studying and preparing for his finals, not to mention battling the major cold he had caught earlier in the week. It worried Ryuu that Chika was all alone in Tokyo with no one to make sure he was eating and sleeping properly. To say that he was relieved that Chikara would be coming back to Miyagi for his break in a few days was a major understatement, but even just seeing his face (despite its exhaustion) made him feel a hundred times better. 

“‘S just a cold, Ryuu,” Chika smiled gently. “And you’ll be able to hand me tissues in a few days.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t make the trip down there,” Ryuu lamented. It was something that had been weighing on his mind: after graduation, Ryuu had decided to stay in Miyagi so that he could work at the local gym and hopefully get a personal trainer’s certification. He knew he wasn’t smart enough to go to university, but he was a hard worker, and it was his willingness to work long and unforgiving hours that landed him a promotion early on in his budding career. Taking time off right now wasn’t an option, no matter how much he wanted to be there for Chikara. Leaving him alone to battle his exams and his illness was a source of guilt for Ryuu. 

“There isn’t much you could’ve done for me. ‘Sides, not only has Noya been bothering Asahi to text me every few days for confirmation of life, but Taketora’s been checking in. I have a feeling you have something to do with that?” Ryuu looked down at his lap, cheeks burning a bit with embarrassment. Of course he figured that Chikara would notice, but he had kinda hoped he wouldn’t point it out. Even through the computer screen, he could feel the warmth in Chika’s gaze. “Thanks, Ryuu. When Tora showed up at my door with a bottle of cough syrup, I could’ve kissed him.”

Ryuu squinted at the screen suspiciously. “Ya didn’t though, right?” 

Chika laughed, full and melodious and utterly beautiful despite his obviously raw throat. “Of course not. You’re the only rambunctious ace that I want to kiss.” Ryuu preened at the compliment.

“Have you been drinkin’ lots of water?” 

“Ryuu, I swear to god. All of our friends think that _I’m_ the responsible one. If only they knew how much you mothered me.” Ryuu kept his eyes trained on the screen until Chikara threw his hands up into the air in defeat. “Yes! Yes, I’ve been drinking so much water that I feel like a goddamn camel.” 

Ryuu grinned and waited for his boyfriend to thoroughly blow his raw nose before continuing. “I miss you,” he said. They weren’t the words he meant to say, but they were true nonetheless. 

“I miss you too,” Chikara smiled warmly at him. It was a smile that developed in their second year, sometime between Interhigh and Nationals, that he had realized was only directed at him. It made Ryuu -- plain, simple-minded Tanaka Ryuunosuke -- feel like he was the most cherished thing in the world. That smile could make him spike past the strongest blocks in their second year, give him the most intense patience during their tests in their third year, get him through the long separations and rough days at work in this first year post-graduation. It was a smile that now, through a computer screen and hours upon hours away, made his heart absolutely ache with the emptiness of Chikara not being right there.

His musings were interrupted by Chikara doubling over in a sneeze attack, his head continually falling into his elbow as he sneezed three, four, five times in a row. He groaned once it was done, lifting a tissue to his nose to clear it. 

“You really should get some sleep, Chika. It’s getting late. Did you take some medicine today?”

Chikara snuffed loudly, his lips pulling into the beginning of a pout as he nodded. It was adorable. “I’ll take some more in a little bit. I want to talk to you longer.” His voice was getting dangerously close to whining as he rested his chin back into his hands, a crumpled tissue pressed against the side of his face. “Will you tell me how work is going?”

So Ryuu did. He talked about his boss, Konya, who was kind of a hardass but deserving of her title for how diligently she worked. He talked about his favorite coworkers, Kamiya and Megumi, both of whom always saved him a breakfast bar in the mornings since they knew that he usually got hung up helping the front desk receptionist (Usually Seo, sometimes Junko) collect the mail from that morning before he clocked in. He detailed how hard it was to clean the spot behind the vending machines, how fun it was to help out with their youth leagues whenever they needed another pair of hands and a loud voice, and how exciting it was to see his paycheck after his small promotion to shift leader. 

Chikara listened to his rambling with a proud gleam in his eyes, the satisfied smile never leaving his face and his eyebrows bobbing in response as he hummed appropriately. They paused their conversation so that Chikara could take his nighttime cold medicine. 

“Want to log off now so you can sleep?” Ryuu baited.

Chika shook his head, downing the capful of blue sludge and grimacing as he swallowed it. “It’ll take a while to kick in. I’d love your company until then.”

Ryuu resisted the urge to roll his eyes, a long-suffering smile on his face. “At least lie down in bed instead of sitting at your desk. That way you can just go right to sleep.”

Chika did as he suggested, crawling under the comforter and he pulled his laptop near his head, lying on his side as he stared at the screen. “Better?” Chikara asked him in a teasing tone.

“Much, thank you,” Ryuu said, hiding his victorious smile. Even if Chika was going to be petulant, Ryuu had still gotten him into the bed. “Want to tell me about your exams?”

Chikara made a face even more extreme than the one he had made when taking his medicine. “No, I want to forget about them. Maybe once I get the grades back.” Ryuu made a noise of understanding in the back of his throat.

From what he had gathered, pre-PT school was kicking Chika’s ass. The other students were wildly competitive and chemistry had never been Chikara’s strongest subject. But Chikara was probably one of the smartest people Ryuu had ever met (Tsukishima and Narita right on up there with him), and he knew that the weeks of studying had paid off and that Chikara would be just fine. He just had a tendency to overthink and freak himself out. That’s why Ryuu was always there to take his mind off of it.

“Could you talk to me about the dates you’re going to take me on when I come home?” Chika smiled as he sniffled, wiping his nose on his pillowcase. They would for sure watch the sunsets, as many as they could. For some reason, Chikara was incredibly partial to them, and Ryuu was a huge fan of the awe on his boyfriend's face as they watched the sun sink below the horizon. If Chikara was feeling better, maybe ice skating and snowman building, if he could convince him. Chikara was a long-time lover of the snow, much like Ryuu himself was, and being cooped up inside would drive the poor man mad. But if he was still sick like Ryuu figured he would be, he’d probably just recreate their first date so that Chika wouldn’t have to leave the comfort of his bed or bedroom. 

Their first date had occurred after two years of flirty competitions and late-night studying and stolen smiles between classes and sets. Ryuu had worked up the courage to ask Chika if he wanted to hang at his place and watch a movie. Chikara had said yes -- it was something they did often with the rest of their friend group. But their usual routine of pizza and a movie was interrupted by Ryuu’s feelings.

_“Just us tonight, I hope ya don’t mind,” Tanaka rubbed the back of his neck, stepping aside so Ennoshita could walk through the threshold of his and Saeko’s apartment._

_“Not at all,” Ennoshita had smiled at him, causing him to look away quickly. Tanaka had purposefully been vague about the invitation so as to not make Ennoshita feel uncomfortable, but tonight was the night he was going to confess his feelings._

_Hopefully it wouldn’t end badly._

It hadn’t. Much to Ryuu’s surprise, after he finished choking out the most embarrassing confession known to man, Chikara had very gently taken his face in his hands and kissed both of his cheeks and the top of his nose. They had pulled away, blushing furiously, before rushing in for an uncoordinated kiss that smashed both their noses together and squished their faces. They had melted into giggling messes as they tried to get it right. And Ryuu wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

He was still explaining how he’d like to get some of their friends together for a neighborhood-wide snowball fight, moving his arms around wildly to demonstrate how he thought it would go, when he heard an odd whistling noise. He looked up at the screen to see Chika passed out next to his computer screen, the whistling caused by air moving through his congested nose. 

He smiled fondly at his boyfriend, thanking whatever gods existed that Chikara had been willing to try this dumb long distance thing. But that didn’t mean that Ryuu wouldn’t give his left lung to be in bed next to Chika right now, smoothing his hair from his face and rolling him over to see if he could breathe easier that way. 

Before he knew it, his mind swam with possibilities for their future together, and he rested his head in his arms from where he sat on the floor by his bed, his laptop propped up on the bed. 

“I love you,” Ryuu said softly to his monitor. It was something he thought often, but they still hadn’t said aloud. A secret that he absolutely couldn’t wait to share with Chika when he saw him in a few days, during a beautiful sunset. Chika would probably hit him for being so corny, but the romantic in him would love it. Ryuu fought to keep his eyes open a little longer, but Chikara’s whistling snores were the perfect lullaby.

“Ryuu! Turn off your light, how many times--” Saeko stopped her tirade abruptly when she entered his bedroom. Ryuu was slumped over his bed, top half of his body on the bed, bottom on the floor, drooling on his arm. His laptop laid open in front of his sleeping form, and on the screen was a real-time video of Chikara in a similar position, snoring even louder than her little brother. 

“What a pair,” she mused quietly, a fond smile on her face. “C’mon Ryuu,” she hefted the rest of her younger brother’s sleeping form onto the bed, readjusting the laptop so that he was still facing the screen. “Sleep well, baby bro,” she rubbed his head before flicking the lights off. Tonight, she’d leave him to his disgustingly domestic relationship. Tomorrow, she was going to give him so much shit for it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fic rec: [Minne](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15205292/chapters/35266229) by Gilrael
> 
> Support new works!: [Perfect Doesn't Always Have to Be Perfect](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23697772/chapters/56897503) by megrondez
> 
> Headcanon Count:  
> \-- Tanaka had been acting weird for WEEKS before his confession, so Ennoshita knew exactly what was coming
> 
> \-- Tanaka is a super heavy sleeper because his sister is Saeko. She’s always yelling or inviting friends over and getting drunk or practicing with her Taiko group. He’s had to fall asleep in downright hostile environments. 
> 
> \-- There have been many a fight in the Tanaka household about the energy bills (“STOP LEAVING THE LIGHTS ON, RYUU!”)


	3. Day 3: Video Games/Letters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I tried so hard (with my limited HTML skills) to encode sticky noted into the text, but I couldn't get it to work, even when I tried out someone else's tried-and-true code! So I wrote out the notes instead, using a mixture of my Dad's and my handwriting for Ennoshita! 
> 
> Please let me know if any of the pictures decide to stop showing up, that would be a tragedy! Xx

The worst part about Chika visiting was when he left again. It was always exactly the same: Chikara would spend his last night at the Tanaka residence, him and Ryuu staying up until the sun rose talking and generally enjoying the company of the other, and then they would pack Chika up and Ryuu would walk him to the train station. From there, he would kiss Chikara’s knuckles in goodbye and sleepily stumble back to his house, where he’d pass out for ten or so hours and awaken to a text from Chikara wishing him a wonderful day.

It was always a huge bummer, but at least he still got to see Chika once in a while. Long distance really freaking sucked.

But when Tanaka woke up from his ten hour power nap (screw you Saeko he can call it whatever he wants) after Chikara’s most recent visit, he knew something was different. Maybe it was the paper stuck to his face. He grabbed at it, accidentally crinkling it when he peeled it off his face. Apparently, it was one of the kinds with sticky adhesive.

His room was too dark to read it, even if he squinted, so he reached for his phone and turned its screen onto the note. Written in black marker on the yellow note was:

And...what the heck? It was obviously from Chikara, but it was also...not from Chikara? Ryuu carefully smoothed out the sticky note and stared at Chikara’s pretty handwriting before getting up. He stretched his muscles in his morning routine, then padded his way over to the light switch in his room. Covering it was another sticky note.

He scowled at it, a little perplexed that even when he wasn’t here, Chikara knew exactly what he was thinking. Ryuu turned on the light to find that there were sticky notes spread throughout his room, maybe five or ten. He wondered when this had happened. On his small bookshelf was a note that said:

On his mirror was,

Ryuu did, the back of his neck turning red as he remembered Chikara sucking on his skin like a leech the night before, leaving him with large, bruising hickeys. He’d have to borrow Saeko’s makeup again if he didn’t want to get in trouble with his boss. There was a note on a pile of clothes on the floor that said,

Ryuu realized that the pile of clothes was not, in fact, his, and had been replaced with Chikara’s shirts and sweatpants and hoodies. He immediately brought the pile to his face and inhaled, his entire body unconsciously relaxing at the scent. He did grumble a bit when he realized that Chika had -- once again -- stolen one of his favorite hoodies, but he could forgive him since Ryuu got Chikara’s navy blue one in exchange. Chika chewed on the strings when he got nervous and Ryuu had been itching to get his hands on it so he could replace the string.

He collected a few of the notes, like the ones on his floor or bed that wouldn’t stay, but left the mirror and bookshelf ones, grinning at how extremely cute his boyfriend was. He kept his collected notes in his hand, venturing out of his bedroom to eat something and hopefully get some answers from Saeko. When he was greeted with an empty apartment, he realized that even though it was Sunday, he forgot that Saeko had picked up a shift today.

Ryuu made his way to the kitchen, only to find more notes littering the room.

Was written on the toaster.

Was stuck to the fridge.

On top of the rice cooker was one that said,

Ryuu did, grinning like a total idiot at the note inside.

God, he already missed Chika so much that it hurt.

In the living room, he found more gems. On the TV stand, in the movie case, near the Atari.

Ryuu laughed and pulled out his phone, sending a picture message of his current collection of notes to Chika.

**To: Chikara ♥**  
_How did you do this!?!?_

_[See attachment]_

__

**From: Chikara ♥**  
<(￣︶￣)> _I’ll never reveal my secrets_

Grinning, Ryuu sent a message to the only other person who could give him answers.

**To: Saeko**  
_How did Chika do the letter thing?_

**From: Saeko**  
_little asshole left me detailed instructions on where to put each note. tell him he owes me so many home run ice cream bars!!!!!!!!_

**To: Chikara ♥**  
_Saeko told me everything_

**From: Chikara ♥**  
_THAT TRAITOR_

**From: Chikara ♥**  
_I TOLD HER NOT TO_

**To: Chikara ♥**  
_She said you owe her ice cream_

**From: Chikara ♥**  
_Everything comes at a price for that woman, jfc_

**To: Chikara ♥**  
_Thank you for your sacrifice_

**To: Chikara ♥**  
_Like actually, this probably made my entire week_

**To: Chikara ♥**  
_I can't wait to watch the sunset with you again._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fic rec: [I am what I am](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7214293/chapters/16371793) by Gilrael
> 
> Also, as a bonus here is my favorite Tanaka fic of all time: [Protector](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23131021/chapters/55350925) by sarahenany and Thursday26
> 
> Headcanon Count:  
> \--Ennoshita and Saeko have a love/hate relationship where they show their affection for each other through snarky comments and tough love


	4. Day 4: Bookstores/Flower Shops

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AKA Books ~~tores~~ and Flower S ~~hops~~
> 
> happy day 4! Ennotana week is passing my so quickly, I'm gonna miss these two! (Also tomorrow is my favorite day I am very excited to share that chapter lol)

Chikara groaned and leaned back in the kitchen chair, fingers threaded through his hair as he tugged at it in frustration. “Aaaauuughh!” He yelled out into the empty apartment. 

As if on cue, the front door unlocked and Ryuu walked in. “Whoa. Sounds like something’s on your mind,” he said. He tossed his keys in the small dish they kept on the counter and set down a few grocery bags that hopefully had some milk and things for dinner in them. Chikara tilted his chin up and Ryuu leaned down to give him an upside-down kiss from where he was still leaning back on the chair. He let it fall back to its normal position with a _thunk._

“Nah, I’m just about to go crazy from this dumb chapter. Body osmolarity makes me want to die.” Chikara gestured to the open book he had laid out in front of him on the table, its pages coated in a layer of highlighter and pencilled-in annotations. 

Ryuu hooked his chin on Chikara’s shoulder as he gazed at the open textbook. He was warmer than usual from his walk home, the lingering scent of the gym -- rubber equipment and lemon-scented cleaner -- permeating Chikara’s nose. “You’ll get it, Chika,” Ryuu said softly, turning his head to press a kiss onto Chikara’s jaw. He stood back up, making his way back to the grocery bags to put his purchases away. “Good day?” He asked as he opened the fridge. 

“Long day. Class felt like it would never end. I’m glad we’re both home, though.” At his words, Ryuu paused in his task to shoot him the fondest of his smiles. They were getting older, slowly but surely. Chikara mostly marked passing time by the way Ryuu changed: the way his voice would rather lilt in soothing, soft tones rather than the brash ones he adopted in high school; his smiles, and how he hadn’t directed his signature sharp smirk towards Chikara in over a year; his stance, the way he stood with all of the self-confidence of a man rather than a quietly insecure boy; and the careful way he considered his words with his head cocked, eyes thoughtful and lips pursed in concentration. “How was your day?”

“Not bad! They’re finally giving me more responsibilities, so I think I can actually train my own clients in the next month or so.”

“Really? That’s amazing, Ryuu!” The back of Ryuu’s neck burned red, and he went back to putting away groceries. “Do you want to cover dinner or you want me to?” 

“You have an exam in a few days, I got dinner for the rest of the week,” Ryuu said airily. 

“Are you sure? I can take a break tonight to make something.” 

“But I want you to use that break for somethin’ else,” Ryuu sent him a mischievous grin that left Chikara with a warm pit in the bottom of his stomach. _Oh._ “Don’t worry about dinner, Chika. You can count on me!” And there was high school Ryuu again, his chest puffed out as he childishly jabbed his thumb into his sternum. Some things, Chikara was relieved to note, never changed. 

Living with Ryuu had, at first, gone just as badly as Chikara had feared. Ryuu was an incredibly early riser, out of bed before the sun was up to go on a run around their neighborhood and the campus. Meanwhile, Chikara stayed up until two or three in the morning to work on his homework and watch recently-released movies. Ryuu waking so early wouldn’t have been such a big deal if Chikara weren’t such a light sleeper. Ryuu’s shifting would jolt him awake, and it would take a while for him to drift off again, which is about when Ryuu would get back to shower and sit out on the balcony. Another thing was that when Ryuu had hard days at work, he would come back exhausted and snore all night. 

They also could never agree on how often the floors needed to be swept. They would argue about how Chikara left clothes everywhere, or how Ryuu always forgot to rinse out the kitchen sink. Going long distance for two years had taught them that relationships were about compromise, but this was something completely different: now, instead of disagreeing because they never saw each other, they were disagreeing because they saw each other too much. 

But Chikara had never doubted their relationship. He knew that no matter how many times Ryuu accidentally left the freezer door hanging open that he wouldn’t regret moving in with his boyfriend for his last year of university. They were lucky that Ryuu was able to find a job opportunity that was close. Chikara still remembered the excitement and exhilaration he felt when he learned that Ryuu was coming to Tokyo. 

_Ryuu was calling him early in the morning, before his first class, which immediately put Chikara on edge -- Ryuu never called when he knew Chikara had things to get done. He always waited for Chikara to call first._

“I GOT THE JOB!!!” _Ryuu’s yell greeted him on the other end of the receiver._

_“What job?” Chikara chuckled into his phone._

_“Oh, shit. I forgot that I wasn’t gonna tell ya until I knew.”_

_“Well? Will you tell me now?”_

_“Oh yeah! I applied to a job near your uni and I got it!!!!” Chikara was stunned to silence. “Chikara? Is...is that not okay? I can say no to the position.”_

_“Oh my god, Ryuu,” Chikara jolted from his haze. “No, that’s-- that’s amazing news! I’m so happy for you! Does this mean...I mean, do you want…?”_

_“Do you want to get an apartment with me once you finish this semester, Chika? ‘Less of course, you don’t. I’d understand.”_

_Chikara laughed wetly, not even realizing that he had started crying. He could hardly imagine it: living with Ryuu. No longer having weekly video chats on their old laptops or spending hours on their phones talking about how much they wished they could hold each other. They would finally be able to kiss and hug and laugh together every day._

_“That’s all I want, you dork,” Chikara wiped the tears from his cheeks as he let out what might have been a sob or a laugh. “I can’t believe you’ll be here in a few months. Oh my god, we have to start apartment hunting immediately.”_

_Ryuu laughed on the other end of the line. “I’ll send you some of the places I found online.”_

_“I love you, you know?”_

_“Yeah, Chika. I love you too.”_

After their first few months, living together became much more bearable. They found out the real meaning of compromise. It meant that Chikara wore earplugs at night, and that Ryuu sometimes slept on the couch for Chikara’s sanity, and that they both held each other accountable. 

“Chika!!! My flowers!!” Ryuu rushed in from the porch as he was waiting for the oven to preheat. Chikara ripped his eyes from the worst chapter ever (tonicity...ughhhhhh) to see that Ryuu was standing in their living room, the entire flower box in hand. 

“Ryuu the carpet!” Chikara jumped up from his chair to usher Ryuu back onto the balcony before any dirt or water could spill onto the carpet. He knew from experience that it was not fun to try and scrub out. 

“Sorry,” Ryuu immediately sobered, his wide grin wiped from his face as quickly as it appeared. “I got too excited.” 

Chikara rested his hand on Ryuu’s shoulder blade to let him know that it was okay. “They’re blooming,” he realized softly as he gazed at the flowers in their box, now back in its rightful place hanging over their balcony. 

“I wasn’t sure they would,” Ryuu had a smile on his face again as he gently reached out to brush his hand against their petals. He had received some flower bulbs from one of his coworkers as a welcome gift to the new gym, but the flowers were slow-growing. They had a frost a few days before that made Ryuu afraid that the flowers would die. But now, the tulips were reaching their buds towards the sun, a few beginning to bloom fully. 

“They’re beautiful,” Chikara said. It was the little things like this that made their cramped little apartment a home: Ryuu’s pork in the oven and his flowers on the balcony, Chikara’s extensive DVD collection taking up too much space in the living room, both of their house keys resting in the clay-baked dish that they made together their first week in the apartment, resting his head on Ryuu's shoulder as they watched sunset from their west-facing balcony. Chikara truly couldn’t ask for more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fic rec: [Learning Us](https://archiveofourown.org/works/6400633/chapters/14655106) by glitch_writes
> 
> Headcanon Count:  
> \-- One of Tanaka’s favorite parts of his day is sitting outside on his balcony and eating breakfast. He people watches and finds it incredibly peaceful
> 
> \--Early bird Tanaka and night owl Ennoshita
> 
> \--Tanaka is a slut for flowers. I’ve always loved this headcanon and I will die on this hill.


	5. Day 5: Apocalypse/Actors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 5: Apocalypse/ ~~Actors~~
> 
> (And by apocalypse I mean 'end of the world')
> 
> This is probably my favorite chapter -- a little bit of angst after 4 chapters of insane fluff and before 2 more fluff-filled ones. Enjoy!

“Why don’t you just say what’s been bothering you!?” 

“Oh, you’d _love_ that, wouldn’t you?”

They were fighting. 

“Actually, I _would!”_

“You know _exactly_ what’s been bothering me!” 

They were fighting and it honestly felt like the end of the world.

“Ryuu, I can’t help you if you don’t explain to me what’s happening.” Ryuu had one hand braced on the wall, the other gripping the back of his head tightly, as if he wished he could just rip his brain out. “Is this about Golden Week? Because we talked about it and if you’re still mad--”

“This isn’t about stupid Golden Week!” Ryuu was glaring at the ground, and Chikara was getting more frustrated by the minute. 

“Then goddammit Ryuu, learn how to fucking communicate and tell me what’s wrong! You always do this!” 

“Oh? Do what?” 

“You never tell me when something’s bothering you, and then you let it fester, and then it comes exploding out in a complete mess! It’s unhealthy! How do you expect me to try and talk to you when you get like this?” 

Ryuu seemed to take offense to that. “Well, I’m so fucking sorry that the way I am bothers you so much! Maybe you should take it up with Misaki!” 

Misaki? Was that what this was about? “What are you talking about?” 

“You know.” 

Chikara reeled back, his mouth hanging open at the insinuation. “Are you...are you _fucking serious?_ Do you want to accuse me a little more?” Ryuu locked his jaw, still glaring at the floor. “No, you _look at me_ when you accuse me of cheating on you. Are you serious, Ryuu? Actually, don’t answer that. Fuck you. Get the fuck out.”

Ryuu didn't look apologetic in the slightest as he stormed past Chikara to go into their bedroom. Chikara watched numbly as Ryuu started throwing clothes into a small bag. “You want to talk about it? Let’s talk about it. About how you barely touch me and how she’s so much smarter and more capable. Let’s talk about how you’ve always known that you could do better than someone who _barely managed to graduate high school?”_ Ryuu sounded like he was quoting someone, and it caused an odd skip in Chikara’s heartbeat. “I’m done talking tonight, Ennoshita. You told me to leave, and I’ll leave. I’ll be back in a few days once I don’t feel like I’m going to punch the wall.” 

And he had left despite Chikara yelling his name, like a tornado, leaving ruin and devastation behind. 

_Ennoshita._

He had called him Ennoshita. Ryuu hadn’t done that since they were in high school. Chikara collapsed next to the front door that Ryuu had just left out of, barely able to breathe because he was crying so hard. How did their conversation get so out of hand? Why hadn’t Ryuu just listened to him? How could Ryuu believe…..

Chikara sobbed harder, wondering what he had done wrong. Ryuu had mentioned Misaki, who was a girl that Chikara worked with. Did he really think that Chikara would be cheating on him with her? But more worriedly, where had Ryuu gotten the idea that Chikara didn’t think he was enough? Sure, they hadn’t had sex in a little while, but Ryuu had been too tired since he was working to try and get a better-paying promotion so that they could move into a proper apartment instead of the shoebox that they shared. 

They rarely fought. Or, well, they rarely fought about things that mattered. And along with that, rage never fueled their arguments. Frustration and annoyance, maybe, but Chikara had never seen that kind of pure hurt and anger in Ryuu’s eyes in the five years they had been together. Was Ryuu having second thoughts about their relationship? They were technically high school sweethearts, and maybe Ryuu decided that there were better things -- better relationships -- out there, and his wish to break up had manifested in this odd way. If that was the case, why hadn’t Ryuu told him that he wanted to break things off? Of course, Chikara would be destroyed, but he’d eventually heal. 

His chest was aching, a physical manifestation of his emotional pain. Back when he was in school, he was sure that one of his professors had told them that it was possible to feel a broken heart. The pain in his chest was from his brain receiving an intense amount of pain signals but having nowhere to send them. 

If Ryuu did want to break up, they needed to do it cleanly and mutually. None of these lies about cheating. Chikara sniffed wetly, pressing the heels of his palms into his eyes before wiping at his face and standing. Okay. Right now, there was nothing he could do except get ready for bed. He had work in the morning, even if his relationship was crumbling around him. Fuck. He hadn’t slept in their bed without Ryuu in a long time. It was lonelier than he remembered.

He missed watching the sun set for the first time in years. 

“Not to be disrespectful, but you look like you haven’t slept in a week, Ennoshita-san,” Misaki greeted him in the morning. 

“Just a few days,” Chikara dragged his palm down his face, taking the patient file that Misaki was holding out to him. His first patient didn’t have a therapy appointment for another hour or so, but he liked to be ready. It was a new patient, fresh from surgery on their ACL, and he would have to go through all the new patient information with them when they came in. 

“What happened, if you don’t mind me asking?” 

Chikara leaned heavily on the welcome counter, closing his eyes. “Ryuu and I had an awful fight a few nights ago and I told him to leave.” 

“Oh.” 

He opened one eye to look at Misaki. “What was that tone for?” 

She shrugged as nonchalantly as possible. “I just meant that...well, I don’t mean any offense, but if that’s all...you could do much better than Tanaka-san.” 

Chikara furrowed his brow, straightening up. “Don’t mean any offense…?” 

Misaki was quick to jump in. “It’s just that he’s very loud and rough, and the way he talks is, well, you know.” 

“I know?” 

“Uneducated,” she fluttered her hands around, seemingly not noticing the edge in Chikara’s voice. “I mean, everyone in the office knows. Here you are, a college-educated physical therapist, and there he is, a gym worker who barely graduated from high school.”

The words resonated in Chikara’s mind, and he was suddenly more awake than ever. Had Tanaka heard his co-workers talking about him? But when? A very clear memory of a holiday work party played out in Chikara’s mind: Tanaka had left his side to place their coats in the coat check. He couldn’t have been gone for more than five minutes before he was back at Chikara’s side, a forced smile pasted to his face. 

_“What’s wrong?”_ Chikara had asked. 

_“It’s nothing. Indigestion,”_ Ryuu had responded, squeezing Chikara’s hand once before letting go. 

_“You’re getting old, Ryuu,”_ Chikara had chuckled. _“Do you need anything? We can go home.”_

 _“No, I’ll be fine.”_ Ryuu had managed a real smile, albeit smaller than his usual face-splitting grin, and Chikara had forgotten about it (although he had stocked up on antacids when he was at the store the next day). 

Had Ryuu overheard Chikara’s nosy coworkers bad-mouthing him? Did he assume that they had gotten those awful words from Chikara’s mouth? That Chikara was unhappy in their relationship? Suddenly, their fight made a lot more sense. While he was still smarting from Ryuu accusing him of cheating, he could understand why Ryuu might be feeling a bit insecure. Despite popular opinion, Ryuu could be extremely self-doubting and anxious if he was left in his own brain for too long. 

“Onishi-san,” he said coldly, reverting back to her surname, “it is no business of yours who I am seeing, and it is frankly inappropriate that you and other people in this office have been talking about my partner, especially so disrespectfully. He is kind and intelligent and frankly a much better person than you are. And he’s up for a promotion for the head of children's operations at one of the most well-received gyms in Tokyo. So thank you for your opinions, but I never asked for them, and they are not welcomed here.” 

Chikara turned away from his coworker, leaving her with her mouth hanging open and her face a flaming red. 

He pulled his phone from his pocket, composing a text message before he had to turn it off for work. 

**To: Ryuu**  
_Come back tonight. We need to talk._

The atmosphere in the kitchen was so thick that the confusion and anger and hurt was tangible. It tasted bitter on Chikara’s tongue. When Ryuu had walked into the apartment they had immediately started fighting again, and Chikara wasn’t even sure how it had happened. 

“I’m trying to explain to you that I’m not cheating, you dumbfuck!” Chikara spat across the table. Both of them had long stopped sitting and were trying to stand as far away as they could from each other, Chikara with his back to the kitchen cabinets and Ryuu in the middle of the living room, fists clenched at his sides. Ryuu flinched at his words.

“It’s kind of hard to explain that when you are!” 

“Won’t you even _listen?!”_ Chikara screamed, feeling helpless and sad and angry. And oh shit. Fucking dammit. Now he was crying. Chikara fucking hated himself so much for always crying when he got too mad. He angrily wiped at the tears on his face with his forearm, but he was even more irritated and humiliated that he was crying, which made more tears stream down his face. Fuck all of this to hell. 

“I heard you!” Ryuu said, slightly quieter than his previous words. He seemed to notice that Chikara was struggling to keep his emotions in check and his own voice was wavering now. 

“What?” 

“I heard you!” He looked embarrassed. “I know we haven’t been having sex recently, and so when I heard you masturbating in the bathroom, I didn’t think much of it. And then you...you said her name.” 

Chikara literally wanted to know what world this happened in. Please. Someone fucking tell him. Because there was no way in hell he would ever even think of Misaki when he was--

Oh. wait. He looked back up at Ryuu, who had tears slipping down his face now, too. “Why the fuck are you crying, asshole?” 

“I dunno! You cry, I cry! I’m a sympathetic crier, okay?! I don’t like it when you’re sad.” 

Chikara stormed out of the kitchen and into the living room. “Then fucking listen to me and I won’t be sad anymore!” He stopped his advance a few feet from his boyfriend. “I was masturbating, yes, to the thought of _you_ or some equally sappy shit, when I got a fucking phone call from her.”

Chikara remembered how embarrassing it was. He was just about to get off when his phone lit up, and he had checked the caller ID… _“Shit, Misaki!”_ He had fumbled, trying to decline the call with one hand, the other still trying to finish. That was what Ryuu must have heard.

“What about how I’m not good enough for you? How I- I don’t deserve someone like you?” Ryuu was actually crying now, for himself, his cheeks soaked with tears and snot dribbling from his nose. He was barely able to get out the last sentence without it being swallowed by his uneven breaths. 

“Ryuu,” Chikara finally stepped forward, tears still slipping from his won eyes, and he took Ryuu’s face in both of his hands. “I could never think that. You’re the perfect person for me. You hold me when I’m sad and my mom loves you and you make me laugh every day of my life. I’m so lucky to have Tanaka Ryuunosuke love me.” 

At that, Ryuu started crying harder, leaning forward to bury his face in Chikara’s chest. “I-I thought that when they said that at the party that you had-had t-told--” 

“Shh, Ryuu,” Chikara said, getting angry all over again, but this time at his coworkers. They both sunk to the ground, sobbing messes as they grasped desperately to hold each other. 

“I’m sorry I thought you might be cheating on me,” Ryuu’s tears and snot were bleeding through his shirt, but Chikara was sure Ryuu’s collar was having the same problem. “I didn’t mean it. I was just...I was so hurt.” 

“I’m sorry I don’t let you know how much I appreciate you,” Chikara was finally starting to calm down, the relief of having Ryuu in his arms again immeasurable. “I was scared you wanted to break up. That you didn’t love me anymore.” 

Chikara immediately felt bad when Ryuu let out a wail into his chest. “No, no. I’m sorry. It’s my fault and my stupid insecurities and I’m so sorry.” 

“Your insecurities aren’t stupid.” Chikara gently pulled Ryuu’s face away from him so he could look into his partner’s eyes. They were red and watery, defeated and hopeful all at once. “Just...next time, will you talk to me about it? Instead of immediately getting defensive and assuming that I hate you?” 

Ryuu nodded. “I’m sorry.” 

“Stop apologizing. I’m sorry, too.” Now that they had apologized, the relief of their fight finally being over slammed into Chikara like a truckful of bricks. “I don’t know about you, but I have a headache from all of that crying. How does a nap sound?” 

Ryuu sniffed loudly and slowly stood, offering a hand and helping Chikara up. “I’ve been staying at Tora’s all week, and I don’t think I’ve slept for more than an hour. I missed our bed.” 

“I couldn’t sleep without you here,” Chikara admitted as they shuffled to the bedroom together, their fingers intertwined. 

“God, I’m so stupid,” Ryuu groaned, stripping down to his boxers. 

Chikara grinned to himself, doing the same. “Yeah. But tomorrow I bet there'll be a beautiful sunset.” 

They fell into bed, Ryuu nuzzling so close that Chikara was worried that they would merge to form one person. 

“I think so, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Talk about an emotional chapter, this was actually pretty draining to write lol. 
> 
> Fic rec: [Sing Me to Sleep](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12317193/chapters/28002912) by KarasuSole
> 
> Headcanon Count!  
> \-- Tanaka never feels like he’s good enough for Ennoshita  
> \-- Ennoshita is an angry crier and the thought makes me giggle  
> \-- Adversely, Tanaka is a sympathetic crier and honestly that makes me smile too
> 
> \-- Ennoshita curses like a SAILOR. Tanaka doesn't care much for swear words but thinks that Enno is cute when he’s saying them.
> 
> \-- Ennoshita is bi and Tanaka is pan


	6. Day 6: Drunk Confession/Amnesia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 6: Drunk Confession/ ~~Amnesia~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact: This fic is my 50th on AO3! I had hoped to post 50 fics by the end of this year to celebrate my 5 years on this website, and I'm so happy to be able to say I've done it :)

“Chikaaa!!!” Ryuu yelled, stumbling away from the bar to greet his boyfriend. His boyfriend. Ennoshita Chikara was his boyfriend. He giggled and squished his own cheeks as he ran up to said boyfriend, who was staring at him with an amused smile on his face. Ryuu liked that smile. It was one of his favorites. It meant that Chika loved him. It also made him want to poke Chikara’s mouth.

“Ryuu, what are you doing?” 

“Your mouth,” is all Ryuu offered, mesmerized. Then he realized that Chikara was here. “You came for me!!” He said loudly. Tora had been telling him that Chika wouldn’t come, and Ryuu had cried for a little bit until Noya handed him a phone and he heard Chika’s voice on the other end of the line, telling him that he would be there.

“I told you I would,” Chika was smiling fully at him now, and Ryuu gasped. 

“A smile for me!?” 

“Just for you,” Chika confirmed. 

Ryuu’s eyes widened considerably. “Just for me?” He looked around, scowling at anyone in the general vicinity. “They’re trying to take your smile away, Chikaaa!” He wailed, pressing his cheek against Chika’s to try and block anyone trying to steal a look. 

Chika’s chest rumbled as he chuckled. “Well then you’d better take me home so that only you can see it.”

Ryuu’s head popped up immediately. “That’s an amazing idea. C’mon, we gotta go!” He vaguely remembered Chika waving goodbye to Tora and Noya before they were leaving the bar hand-in-hand. 

“Chika?” Ryuu mumbled, looking down the sidewalks and trying to make sense of them in the dark of night. “I was s’posed to take you, but I think you’d better take me home. I’m drunk.”

“You don’t say?” Chikara raised Ryuu’s arm and slung it around his shoulder, which made it so much easier to walk! Chika was so smart! “Come on, you dork. Home is only ten minutes away.” 

“Ten minutes!?” Chika started leading them in what Ryuu assumed was the right direction. “Ten minutes is so close! We live close?” 

Chika chuckled again. “Yes, we do. You’ve had a lot to drink tonight.” 

“Yes I have!” Ryuu announced to the entire street, a wide smile gracing his face. “Chika! Did you have fun with Kinarita?” 

“Do you mean Kinoshita and Narita?” 

“S’what I said,” Ryuu slurred. It was getting harder and harder to speak. Lots of alcohol. Sake. Lots. He shouldn't have risen to Tora's challenge. Sometimes, even he underestimated how competitive he could be.

“They’re doing well. I was glad to see them. I’ll tell you how it actually went tomorrow, when you’ll remember it.”

“I’ll remember it!!” Ryuu yelled into his ear, and Chikara shushed him lightly. 

“Not so loud, some people are trying to sleep. And I like my hearing, thank you.” 

“Oh no! Did I hurt your ears, Chikaaa?” Ryuu pressed as gentle a kiss he could into Chika’s ear, letting his head fall onto his shoulder as they made their way closer to their apartment. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. Just try to keep your voice down, okay?” 

“Okay,” Ryuu whispered, trying to mimic the gentle tone of Chika’s musical voice. He wasn’t sure that it was working, but for Chika he’d try.

“I think I know the answer to this, but did you have fun tonight?”

Ryuu hummed against Chikara’s neck. He was warm. And his skin was always so soft. And Ryuu loved his sleepy eyes so much, with his long eyelashes and pretty mouth and too-big ears tucked under duckling-soft hair. 

“Ryuu?” 

Oh yeah, Chika asked him something. “S’rry, what?”

“Did you have fun tonight?” 

“Oh!” Ryuu lifted his head. “So much! Tora was like, ‘ohhhh we need shots’ and Noya was like, ‘oh man great idea’ and I was like, ‘hmm maybe not’ but then we did them anyways and they tasted soooo good I was wrong!!! They were like little birthday cakes!!!”

“The shots were birthday cakes?”

Ryuu giggled at how silly Chika was being. “Noooo, they tasted like them!” 

“Oh, sorry,” Chika grinned, and Ryuu squinted at him. He couldn’t tell if Chika was just being cheeky or not. Before he could figure it out Chika was hauling his sorry ass up the stairs. Ryuu tried to help him but his feet wouldn’t move like he asked them to. Eventually, though, they were falling through their front door. 

“To the bedroom,” Chika said, moving them further into the apartment and straight back into their bedroom. “Wait here,” he said after depositing Ryuu on the bed. Ryuu watched him go, wolf whistling at Chikara’s ass in his jeans. 

“You look hot, babe!” He yelled, then collapsed fully back onto the bed. Mmm. Chika was the best. The best boyfriend. His BB. His baby. His sweetheart. His lover. His--

“Drink this,” Chika’s voice was right above him, and he shot up to grab whatever his boyfriend was holding out to him. A glass of water, from the looks of it. 

“I gotta pee,” he said, the water reminding him.

“Can you hold it long enough to drink this?” 

It would make him need to pee worse, but Chika was asking so nicely...He nodded, tipping the water back and managing to drink most of it. Probably a fourth dribbled down his chin and spilled onto his shirt. “Oh no,” he said faintly, tugging at his shirt. “‘M all wet.” 

“How about you go pee while I get ready for bed, okay? Do you want pajamas or will you just sleep in your boxers?” 

“Boxers!!” Ryuu yelled while he made his way unsteadily to their bathroom. “Chikaaaaa!” He was yelling a few minutes later. “I’m stuck!!!” 

“Wha--?” Chikara poked his head into the bathroom, and immediately his face crumpled into his _I’m-totally-not-laughing-you’re-laughing_ face.

“Chikaaaa,” Ryuu whined. “Help me.” He had gotten stuck trying to take off his shirt and pants at the same time, and now he sprawled on the floor uncomfortably without a way to stand up. 

“I’ve got you,” Chika soothed despite his giggles. Ryuu found that he didn’t mind much. He liked Chikara’s laugh, and more than that he liked making Chikara laugh. Chika yanked off his jeans violently enough to send him flying forward, and he smacked his hand against the base of the toilet.

“Shit!” Chikara said, immediately taking Ryuu’s hand in his to inspect it. “Are you okay?”

Ryuu giggled. “Chika’s holding my hand.” Chikara sighed, looking up at the ceiling for guidance or something similar. “Is the answer up there?” 

Chika just rolled his eyes, helping Ryuu get out of his shirt, too. “Come on, we’ll get you to bed and I’ll bring some ice for your hand.” 

Chika disappeared into the kitchen as Ryuu carefully pulled back the blankets on their bed so he could fold himself in. “What are you doing?” Chika asked when he came back, small bag of ice in hand. 

“I can’t mess up the bed!” Ryuu responded seriously. Chikara didn’t like wrinkles. 

“You’re fine, silly. Just get in.” Chika made his way to the side of the bed and handed Ryuu some pills. “Take these, hopefully they’ll help for the morning.” Ryuu drank some more water and swallowed some pills. If Chika asked, Chika would receive. 

"Are you gonna puke tonight?" Chika looked at him seriously. "I need a real answer." 

Ryuu gave an uncoordinated shrug. "Maybe?" 

His boyfriend left the room again for a moment and came back with their bathroom trashcan, setting it down on the floor next to Ryuu's side of the bed. "You use that if you have to throw up, okay? I don't want you smacking your head on the walls trying to get to the bathroom, or not making it in time and puking all over the hallway." "I was sick that time!" Even his alcohol-hazed mind could remember how awful that weekend was. He had caught some kind of stomach flu and hadn't been able to keep anything down for days. "Yes, and you didn't make it to the bathroom two times before you finally gave up to use the trash can." Chika pressed a quick kiss to his temple. 

“Chika?” He asked as Chikara quickly stripped out of his clothes and joined him in bed. 

“Yes, love?” 

“Why’d you take care of me? I’m annoying,” Ryuu pouted, cradling his hand and feeling silly that Chika had to help him so much. 

“What do you mean?” Chikara sidled up next to him in bed, grabbing his slightly achy hand and pressing the bag of ice with a cloth wrapped around it onto his skin. He hissed a little but didn’t move it away. “I’ll always take care of you.”

“Why?” Ryuu turned to look at Chika. Chika was beautiful and wonderful and amazing. Why would he use his time to take care of Ryuu?

“Because I love you. So much,” Chika kissed his jawbone, and Ryuu couldn’t hide his smile. For real?

“So much?”

“So much,” he confirmed, nodding. 

“Chikaa!” Ryuu wrapped his arms around Chika’s waist, letting his head fall onto his chest, "I love you too so much." After a few moments he looked up at his boyfriend. “Chika, I gotta secret. Can you promise not to tell?” 

Chikara nodded again. “I won’t tell.”

“Promise!” Ryuu insisted. This part was important.

“I promise I won’t tell,” Chika pressed another kiss to his forehead. Ryuu sighed happily. 

“‘M gonna ask you to marry me,” he said. Ah, he’d been keeping it a secret for so long, it felt good to let it out. And he promised to keep it a secret. So Chika wouldn’t find out. His eyes grew heavy, the rise and fall of Chika’s chest lulling him away from consciousness. “Don’t tell.”

“I won’t,” Chika whispered. 

“Bought a ring ‘n ev’rythin’. Gonna...gonna marry you.” He mumbled, eyes finally sliding shut. 

Chikara looked down at his unconscious, drunk boyfriend (fiancee?), who was currently drooling all over his bare chest. “I’ll hold you to it,” he whispered, knowing Ryuu wouldn’t remember any of this in the morning. Ah, well. He hoped Ryuu would hurry up and ask him soon. He’d really like to be able to show off a ring the next time he saw Hisashi and Kazuhito.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter made me feel warm and fuzzy :) So sad that tomorrow is the last day of Ennotana week!
> 
> Fic recs:  
> [Ennoshita's Theory](https://archiveofourown.org/works/6677314/chapters/15271897) by thepessimist
> 
> ALSO SUPPORT WIPS/NEW WORKS:  
> [Better than birds of a feather](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25646236/chapters/62258953) by Asimi_Shadowborn  
> [Someone To You](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25008085/chapters/60555763) by MaxMattel666


	7. Day 7: Free Day!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 7: Domestic Fluff 
> 
> ....I say, as if this entire fic HASN'T been domestic fluff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last day of EnnoTana Week 2020, and I'm so sad!!! Catch me again in a few weeks for TsukkiYama Week 2020 (if I can get the fic done it time lol -- I've been so distracted with a BokuAkaKuroTsukki -- is that the right ship name? lol -- fic that I'm writing. Too many hc's are gonna be the death of me). 
> 
> Anyways, enjoy these dorks being in love

“Do you think Ace needs a friend?” Chikara had a frown of concentration on his face as he watched Ryuu jerk their dog back and forth across the floor, dragging her using the rope toy that was clamped in her mouth. 

“Chika,” Ryuu paused his playing to look up at his husband. Ace used his momentary break to tug the rope from his grasp, a short growl of victory leaving her muzzle as she paraded around the living room, showing off her trophy. 

“I knooooow!” Chikara whined, his bottom lip sticking out a little. “She doesn’t get along well with other dogs.” It was one downside to adopting the first dog who showed them affection at the shelter -- when they adopted her, they adopted her with all of her faults. “Doesn’t mean I don’t want like five hundred of them.” 

Ryuu shook his head in amusement. It seemed like the older they got, the more responsible he had to get. Was Chikara really the captain of their volleyball team six or so years ago? It was hard to imagine now, when he was pouting on the couch over not being able to adopt five hundred dogs.

“We just got this new house. Let it marinate,” Ryuu laughed. 

“But we have such a big yard!! Can you imagine?” Chikara gazed out the sliding glass door to their yard. When they got their new place, they had to move out of the middle of the city, but Chikara had been looking for a new place to work anyways, and with his few years of experience he was able to find a place in Tochigi, which was closer to their family but still not too far from their friends in Tokyo. It worked well with Ryuu’s promotion. The company he worked for was looking to expand to more regions, and their brand-spankin’-new gym center in Tochigi liked him for the Children’s Department Coordinator position. Ryuu himself wasn’t opposed at all -- the move came with a pay raise and the chance to work with kids interested in sports, which was something he had learned that he had a passion for in the past few years or so. 

“Can you imagine how much poop we’d have to scoop?” Ryuu ribs him, and Chikara snaps his head away from the window, effectively ripped from his daydream. 

“Yup, you win. One dog? I love having one dog. Ace is perfect. Can’t imagine any girl being as good. Who’s a good girl?” Chika rolled off the couch to join Ryuu and Ace on the floor, snatching the rope toy from her mouth and teasing her with it by dangling it above her head. Ryuu just laughed, amused by his ridiculous partner. 

While he considered him his husband, Chikara was technically Ryuu’s adopted guardian. In the absence of legal same-sex marriage, the koseki system was a sad but effective replacement. A few months before, Chikara had officially registered Ryuu in his household, formally dubbing him Ennoshita Ryuunosuke. A bit of a mouthful, but less weird-sounding than Tanaka Chikara (according to Chika. Ryuu, on the other hand, thought it was adorable). At least with the adoption, they could visit each other if one of them became hospitalized and they would be able to act as each other’s sole executors. 

Ryuu didn’t sweat the technicalities. He knew that it bothered Chikara that they couldn’t legally be married, but they had had a small “wedding” for their family and friends and were living a life that they were happy with. Ryuu couldn’t really ask for more.

“...Ryuu? Were you listening to me at all?”

Ryuu turned to Chika, who was rolling his eyes but smiling. “Uh...yes?” 

“Liar,” Chika poked his tongue out to show that he wasn’t actually mad. “I was asking if you ever thought about having someone else running around the backyard.” 

“Chika, we can’t get another dog. We literally _just_ went over this. Jeez, you’re getting old,” he playfully shoved at Chika’s shoulder, making the other man tilt a little from the position he was sitting in. 

“No, I didn’t mean another dog. I was talking about kids.”

“Kids?” Ryuu felt his soul ascend a little bit. Objectively, he had imagined what it might be like to have kids. In that, _kids-are-a-natural-progression-after-marriage_ kind of way. But he and Chikara had never had that conversation before. Maybe they should have, but Ryuu was more of a roll-with-the-punches kind of guy, and Chika lived more in his head than he did in spoken possibilities. 

“Yes, Ryuu, kids. Have you ever wondered what it might be like to have kids?” 

He shrugged. “I guess. I just...I dunno, I guess I never really thought about what it might mean to be a parent.” 

“You’d be great at it,” Chikara said, so matter-of-factly that Ryuu almost missed it as Ace ran to him for attention before escaping his grasp, unhappy with sitting still for too long. 

He looked to Chika with wide eyes when his words finally registered. “Do you really think I'd make a good dad?” 

Chika laughed at him, but not unkindly. “Ryuu, have you ever _met_ you?” He sent him a lopsided smile, one that let Ryuu know that Chika was getting lost in his thoughts. “You’re so understanding and open with your feelings and love. You’re honest about your shortcomings and always willing to help. And god, you should see your face when you’re coaching the kids at the gym,” Chikara’s cheeks pinked slightly. “I maybe stopped showing up to your work because I’m worried that I’ll steal one of those kids just to see that look on your face every day.” It was true, Ryuu truly did love those kids. 

“You...you think about that kind of stuff?” 

“Ryuu, I imagine the way you’d look at our kids all the time.”

“Wow, I love you,” Ryuu launched himself across the floor to smash his lips against Chikara’s. “You’re so domestic,” he murmured against his lips. 

_“I’m_ domestic? You make dinner for me like every night and you vacuum without a shirt on so I can ogle at you.” 

Ryuu laughed. “Please tell me the last time I actually wore a shirt in this house when it’s just us three.” On cue, Ace slammed into them to let them know that she wasn’t receiving as much attention as she deserved. Ryuu remedied that immediately by giving her butt scratches. 

“Okay, never, but you look especially hot and shirtless when you vacuum.” 

“It’s just because that’s your least favorite chore.”

“You caught me.” 

Their relative peace was interrupted by the ringing of Chikara’s phone. He reached back onto the couch to grab it and check the screen briefly before answering. “Hello?” Ryuu idly took Chikara’s unoccupied hand in his, playing with his fingers as Chikara hummed into his cell. “Oh yes, that’d be perfect. Thank you! Yes, I’ll see you Thursday. Goodbye.” He ended the call and tossed it back onto the couch, then intertwined his fingers with Ryuu’s. “Stop abusing my poor fingers,” he said semi-sternly. 

“Who was that?” Ryuu slapped his other hand to the floor, making Ace come barreling into the living room, excited to play. 

“Terushima. He had an opening for a haircut and called to ask if I wanted it so I could get in earlier.”

“I hate that guy,” Ryuu muttered, face darkening. Ace sprinted from the room again, apparently finding something in the bedroom infinitely more interesting than her owners.

“But why?” Chika laughed. “We’ve known him for so long.”

“He said that you weren’t fit to be the captain of a powerhouse school because you weren’t a regular before our third year!” 

Chikara snorted loudly, covering his mouth with his hand as he giggled. “Ryuu, that was literally _six years ago.”_

He set his jaw, eyes trained on Chika’s fingers. “Don’t care. He still said it.”

“He seriously only said it to rile you up.” 

“And it worked, and then we kicked Johzenji’s ass,” Ryuu shrugged. 

“Why are you just bringing this up now? We see him every few months.” 

“Just because we see him all the time doesn’t mean I don’t wanna kick his ass every time.”

“For something he said to me when we were seventeen,” Chikara deadpanned. 

“Hey!” Ryuu raised Chikara’s hand to his lips, pressing them together roughly. “I’m supposed to defend your honor!” 

Chika gasped dramatically. “My honor feels so defended right now. Thank you, Knight Ryuunosuke.” 

“Smartass,” Ryuu pulled his hand from Chika’s. He couldn’t actually be mad, though, since he pulled the same shit all the time. He himself was guilty of being overly obnoxious just so Chikara would say his name in that half-exasperated, half-fond way he did, where he’d elongate the last bit of his name and harden the “R” at the beginning. He lived for that elongated “uu.” It was similar to the way he used to yell, "Tanaka!!" when they were in high school and he whipped his shirt off with no warning, but with far less amusement. 

If someone had told sixteen-year-old Ryuu that he would find himself in a committed relationship with Ennoshita Chikara, pissing him off on purpose just to hear the cutest inflection in his voice, he probably would’ve invented a time machine just to high-five his future self. Didn’t everyone dream of growing up to marry their best friend, who also happened to be their volleyball captain and the love of their life? Well, maybe everyone else wasn't lucky enough to even have the luxury of dreaming. 

“Ryuuuuuu!” Chikara latched himself onto his husband's back, gently wrapping his legs around Ryuu’s waist and his arms around his neck, resting his locked hands on Ryuu’s chest. “Will you carry me to the porch?” 

Ryuu grunted with effort as he pulled both himself and Chikara up, standing slowly onto his feet. “When I’m older and my back is thrown out because of this, will you drive me to the chiropractor?” 

“Maybe,” Chika laughed into his ear. 

“Jerk,” Ryuu grumbled, but Chikara pressed a kiss into his neck and made him forget his slightly achy bones. Ryuu hoisted Chika up higher on his back, holding his husband’s butt firmly with his arms. It was truly a wonderful butt. Glorious. 10/10. 

“Stop feeling me up and take me to the porch! We’re gonna miss the sunset!” Ryuu smiled and complied, bending his knees so Chikara could slide the door open and then whistling for Ace so she could join them for their nightly routine. 

As they watched the sky burst into pinks and oranges, Ryuu’s eyes kept meeting Chikara’s. Much like Chika’s fascination with sunsets, his own infatuation with the dark-haired man hadn’t waned over the years. And here, with the sunset reflected in their eyes, Chikara was still the most interesting and beautiful thing he had ever seen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They name their first kid [Hinoiri](https://www.behindthename.com/name/hinoiri/submitted) and you cannot convince me otherwise.
> 
> I also like to believe that Tanaka totally became an instructor like Ukai because I love that for him (but he works with younger kids bc they match his energy lol)
> 
> Fic rec: [Connected](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7485927/chapters/17013807) by glitch_writes
> 
> Also, shameless self-promotion for my Ennotana fic: [Broken Toys](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24898756)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoy the rest of the days. 
> 
> If you read any of the fics I recommend, come and gush about them with me on my [tumblr](https://lessons-from-moths.tumblr.com/)!
> 
> Please feel free to leave a kudos or comment if you enjoyed, I respond to all comments! xx


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